Things haven't changed much in the Middle East since 1936

The situation was different, in the sense the Britain controlled "Palestine" in 1936. From then, until the start of the war in 1939, there was conflict between Jewish immigrants and Arabs who resented their growing presence, and the government giving them land. In the process that lead to the war in 1948, when the Jewish state was formed, there was continued immigration of Jewish people to the region, beyond the quotas set by the British government. That lead to the "Exodus" voyage, post war. It also lead to bad situations where refugees were denied a landfall prior to the war. By the time the Australian and New Zealand forces arrived, Palestine was partitioned into three zones. The zones were determined by whether there was free access to Jewish people to purchasing land, or if it was restricted, or banned.